Mystery Bird

From the moment I laced up my shoes and stepped out the front door this morning, I knew something was different. The air felt different. The light was different. And then I realized what it was. It was only 34 degrees, frost on the grass not yet burned off by the morning sun, but somehow it felt like spring! The birds sensed it too; they were singing their spring songs. It was a beautiful morning, made all the more fantastic by the dreary week just past. After a quick invigorating 3 mile walk up and around the neighborhood with the dogs, we were headed back up the driveway when suddenly one bird song rang out above the rest, from somewhere high overhead.

At the very top of a towering pine perched a small bird singing for all he was worth. It sounded like a wren, but as I looked closer, I saw a blush of pink. My best guess was a purple finch. But when I enlarged the photos on my computer just now, I realized this is a new bird I've never seen before! I wonder if there are any birdwatchers among my readers. Can anyone identify our mystery harbinger of spring?

mystery bird!